“he Who Fears Being Conquered Is Sure Of Defeat.” The war-game March of the Eagles focuses on the dramatic conflicts of Europe during 1805 to 1820. Explore one of the defining periods in European history with this experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy, Paradox Development Studio.

Reviews

“If a real-time version of Risk on steroids mixed with Diplomacy's double-dealing sounds appealing, then March of the Eagles is well worth picking up.”
7/10 – Gamespot

“March of the Eagles may have more limited ambitions than its grand strategy cousins, but in limiting its goals it makes its successes more evident. It's a relatively brief and accessible strategy experience that's good alone and better with friends.”
7,9/10 – IGN

About This Game

“he Who Fears Being Conquered Is Sure Of Defeat.”

The war-game March of the Eagles focuses on the dramatic conflicts of Europe during 1805 to 1820. Explore one of the defining periods in European history with this experience crafted by the masters of Grand Strategy, Paradox Development Studio. The makers of Hearts of Iron and Europa Universalis now bring The Napoleonic War to life in this war-focused strategy game.

Main Features

Take command: Rise to power in the era of the Napoleonic Wars and move on to claim the control of Europe

you should definitely buy this gameIt's a masterpiece completely underrated and neglected by paradox, with the mods and dlc's their other games get this could be one of their best games, yet it's good anyway, unlike Europa Universalis it's completely focused on combat, so forget politics and marriages, it's time to BATTLE!

As a long time student of this era in history this one grabbed me right off the bat. It takes into account all the aspects of the Napoleonic Era. A very stable game engine that has not crashed at all. It took sevral readings of the manual and tries at the tutorial to fully get the hang of it; but it plays great. There are also some great mods to this game that i have been playing. Haven't tried an online game as of yet. Double thumbs up on this game!!

This is a game judged harshly for what it isn't and what people thought it was instead of for what it is and what it was meant to be. What this game isn't is a grand strategy game seeking to model every cultural and economic aspect of running a nation in Europe in the early 19th century. What this game is, to put it simply, is a Napoleonic version of Hearts of Iron. It's purely a war game and that's all it aspires to be, and as a war game it's pretty enjoyable.

Thus the mechanics of everyting relating to the military are deeper than most, if not all, Paradox games barring Hearts of Iron itself, and everything else is simplified. You can't adjust taxes (though can take out loans in an emergency), you don't need to justify declarations of war, war begins almost immediately after you unpause the game, and technology is represented as a linear set of techs organized by category that you purchase with "idea points" that accumulate each month.

The entire point of the game is the military and that's where the depth comes in. Similar to Hearts of Iron, provinces are very small to allow for maneuvering, and most importantly, armies are extremely customizable.

First, each army has a main commander as well as up to four subcommanders, one each for the left, right, center flanks, and the last for the reserves.

Then, units in the army can be manually distributed between the flanks and the reserves so it's organized just how you like it.

Finally, the main commander and the four sub commanders all have independent tactics you can set for them, with the main commander having unique ones. Some examples include scorched earth, standing your ground, delaying, entrenched defense, feint, etc. with each having their own requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to be usable (for example, "feint" requires the flank to have at least 15% light infantry and 15% cavalry in order to work).

So you could have a right flank that entrenches and stands their ground, a center flank of line infantry that conducts a feint, and a left flank of elite guards that conducts a counter punch to enemy troops caught in the feint, each with the perfect commander to accentuate the tactics. As an added bit of Napoleonic immersion, it tracks the number of enemy flags captured for each brigade, which had an deep impact on troop morale.

The possibilities are endliess and no two armies are alike. Unlike every other Paradox game that isn't Hearts of Iron, this game's combat isn't a simple matter of just shoving two doom stacks into one giant province, watching floating numbers for a few seconds, and the other one scurrying off. It's about creating highly customised and unique armies commanded by countless possible commanders in order to give yourself a tactical edge. Combat is deep, nuanced, constant, and satisfying.

This review is based on single player games only.The game lacks depth, almost all of the units are the same (specially when playing a minor nation), you can't build foreign units or basic units in territories that are not core of your nation, ai declaring wars against you and others feels a little too RNG based and the time frame to play is a little small (considering ships takes hundreds of days to build and are expensive). Besides cities and ports, provinces are not really worth fighting for and most of the time the only building you will care about is the depot. The game brings some fun, but once you tried some nations and a minor one, you tried all the game had to offer.

I love Paradox games, which is why it pains me to pan this one. Clocking in 200 hours with the likes of a Crusader Kings or a Europa game is easy for me to do, but at the 18th hour mark I decided this is simply a flawed game concept. The problem is that the game engine that Paradox uses so well covering their other grand strategy games does not scale very well when applied to the limited time frame of a Napoleon era game. Nowhere is this better seen than in the process of battles. The somewhat generalized battle system may be fine for a game that covers hundreds of years, but a game that only covers decades demands a more involved/detailed battle system. They make an attempt by allowing you to choose battle tactics for example, but you never get the feel for the difference as the battle zips by, typical in Paradox games. Napoleon's never ending pursuit for the definitive battle never feels fully realized. The player is left wanting more once the battle engages. The game desperately needed a sub system - or mini game if you will - that allows the player to engage in some tactical choices in the battles. In this way the building of the army and the choices you made in unit structures feels more important. And honestly, some of the other things so important and necessary in a long time frame game just seems like a distraction here. The diplomacy and coalition building system holds promise, but in practice seemed more tedious to me than fun or interesting. Once again, the engine that makes history dabbling sandbox play fun just does not scale as well in a game covering less historical time.

I really hope they take another shot at the era but next time take the time to design or better modify the game engine to better reflect the uniqueness of the simulation.

For fans of the Total War series who like looking at the bigger picture. Or an excellent entry level Paradox Interactive grand strategy game.

When I bought the game I was a complete Paradox Interactive noob but I always liked the idea of their truly-grand strategy games. However, having played the demos for Europa Universalis III and Hearts of Iron II, I was convinced I would never be able to get my head around the complexities of Paradox's games. This all changed with March of the Eagles. The era in which the game is set is right up my street and the scale of the campaign map was like nothing I'd experienced before ('scale' is a relative term here).

People familiar with strategy games will be fimiliar with the basic concepts here. You destroy your enemies and take their land, simple. However, in MotE the immediate gains (land) you make are much smaller than those in other games such as the Total War series. This may sound boring to some but I assure you the opposite is true. Because you have to fight harder for every inch, when you eventually destroy a nation it is all the more satisfying.

Every nations on the map is playable from launch (no DLC is a rarity these days) which adds replayability to the game. I had the most fun playing as a lesser nations and working the larger powers against each other. Personally I recommend one of the Italian nations.

Educational and fun!?!?!

What suprised me is what you learn while playing this game! If history/national geography interests you then this game is great. I can now name a lot of lesser Germanic/Burgundian nations such as Nassau and Hessen which I didn't know once existed. There are also event pop ups which add little to gameplay but provide educational fun, such as I never knew that Napoleon named his brother the King of The Netherlands. Fun fact!

Diplomacy: The diplomacy element and associated AI is not the greatest in any game ever to be honest but it does the job perfectly well. There is a 'coalition' mechanic in this game which is a unique concept as far as I am concerned. This basically means that you and a bunch of other nations rally behind a super-power (Prussia, Austria, Russia, Ottomans, French or British [and Spain, but not really]) to defeat another super-power which results in an unbreakable alliance. This is a nice idea and historically relevent and probably the best feature in the game.

Combat/War: Let's be honest. You auto-resolve most of the battles when playing Total War and that's why you're here.

Basically the meat and potatoes of the game. If you're not planning on going to war there is not much point in playing the game. There are no live battlefield engagements in the style of Total War or Age of Empires but frankly they are not needed. While nine times out of ten combat boils down to who has more men, there are still other elements that effect the outcome in subtle ways. There are a variety of units avaliable to build but they are essentially pictures which represent statistics. But specific army composition is not necessarily what the game is about for me (though the right balance helps). For me it is not the who, but the where and when.... and also who a bit. Having the right amount of men in the right place at the right time is how you are going to win, not by numbers and blitzkrieg tactics. Also, with the exception of Russia and the Ottomans, you are not going to survive alone. You need friends. When you build an epic alliance as Britain with Naples, Prussia, Bavaria and Piemonte against the French this is where the game shines. It's even more fun to watch all those nations instantly turn against you for their personal gain as soon as the war is over. In this respect the game is extremely Machiavellian, and I love it!

The combat is further complicated by the need to balance resources such as money and manpower. Compared to other Paradox games this level of resource management is childs play, but it is still on a par with other conventional RTSs.

Famous historical characters such as Horatio Nelson and Napoleon make cameos which is a nice touch. They come with combat bonuses and can lead you armies/navies.

Graphics: Acceptable. There is not a lot to be said here as the game essentially consists of a map and a few character models. It looks nice, don't get me wrong, but it is what it is. If you're going to be persuaded either way by graphics for a game like this you're probably in the wrong place. Be warned, there are a lot of menus but that is fine. You find your way pretty quickly.

Sound/Music: The sound effects are passable to the point of being simply passive. Again, there is not much to report. Music on the other hand is where Paradox always delivers and this game is no different. It feels thematic but also extremely epic. The music adds further grandeur to the game which may not exist otherwise.

Conclusion: The way Steam works the chances are this game will come up in a Steam sale soon enough. If it drops below £10 ($13ish) and it sounds like it might be your thing just get it and blame me if you're disappointed. I doubt you will be. If you want to get into Paradox grand strategies but don't know where to start then this is the one for you! It's simple enough to pick up easily but deep enough not to be considered a glorified tutorial for the other games, yet it introduces you to the essentials of Paradox grand strategies. For me it was a gate way drug and now Paradox is one of my all time favourite game developers.

The downside. To be brutally honest after playing Crusader Kings II and Victoria II, among others, I don't see why a seasoned Paradox fan would buy this if they don't already own it. It brings nothing new to the grand strategy table. It was so good for me because it was my first expericence with the genre but if you know the genre already then there is little for you here. It's good, yes. But there are other Paradox games which are better (the aforementioned Crusader Kings II is my favourite so far).

What you see is what you get. Due to lack of sales, PDS will not be working further on the game whatsoever. No updates or expansions. The game is very unfinished and very lacking of features you would expect in a Napoleonic War game. The way I see it as, is that it, like Sengoku, was a title intended to hold fans off while they make a big game.

I am sad to say there is no reason to get this game over Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV, Victoria II or the newly announced Hearts of Iron IV. This is coming from a huge fan of PDS.

For a game to choose such a narrow slice of history, the Napoleonic Wars, and do it so well is truly a hidden gem among strategy games. With one exception , this is a game you can pickup quickly and move into battle / conquest mode with minimal reading / tutorials. The tutorials are there and cover every feature in detail should you need them.

Pick your country wisely when you play this game. Starting off on the wrong side will test your patience and mettle for battle. I started as Great Britain and ruled the seas...but those pesky French kept drawing my ships and transports into battle. I would end up winning but these spoiler attacks slowed me down a lot. Enemy AI is competitive at the strategic level and in combat.

The one daunting task is understanding the military units. You can make upwards of twenty different types of land combat units in MoE. TWENTY. Knowing the difference between a Marine brigade and a Dragoons brigade is a must. Knowing that armies, during that time, needed supply trains as much as they need fighting brigades is a must. Knowing how to position your troops and their fronts for maximum effect is a must. Put too many troops in a single front and you incur an attack penalty!

Given the narrow slice of history involved, MoE is probably a niche strategy game. Still, I'm very, very happy with my purchase. If you play Hearts of Iron III, Crusader Kings II, and / or EV IV, you should add this game to your collection.

This game is a straight forward no nonsense crash course armchair general. It is VERY addicting in short bursts.Imagine building a powerful nation in europa universalis and then duking it out with the great powers of the world.This game basically is on fast forward in managment and building and you will almost always be at war as france.

Good game but if you are hoping for in depth command like other paradox grand strategy.This is probably the lightest weight of them all.

March of the eagles is a much more easier form of pardox's other grand stategy games.Its a intorduction to grand strategy games to pepole who are intrstend in grand strategy having more simplified elements of other parodox games.No matter what it is a extremely fun game and I highly advise you get it.

It's pretty much just like other Paradox real time tabletop strategy games. Main difference is it's in Europe in the 19th century. Solid game overall. Worth a play especially if you like strategy games as Paradox games tend to go in to more detail then most games. Only real down side that I can think of is the learning curve. Which everyone should try the training first ,before trying to play. But still not as bad as other games.

Ayo dis game is pretty good, I mean what more could you want? It's a paradox game, pretty easy to get in to. And really rewarding when you see your countries name stretched across Europe, the best part infamy isn't really there, so just keep on stomping on those pathetic countries who are attempting resistance, keep spraying them with the peperspray of infantry and cannon fire, and cover your ears with the frequent peac requests of "Don't taze me bro." Just close your eyes and keep hitting them with that baton, with the exception of blocking a few blows with your riot shield.

For those who follow Paradox games MotE was a transition from Victoria 2 that intrudced some of the mechanics that would appear in Europa Universalis IV. It has since been largely forgotten since EU4 came out due to its limited focus on the Napoleonic Wars, but if you enjoy Paradox games there's no reason to go back and try this one out if it goes on sale.

All aspects of running a nation are pushed aside to make room for waging war. It might not be as expansive as other Paradox grand strategy games, but it feels more focused, for better and for worse (but mainly for the better).

Paradox has done it again! Its like HoI3, but the AI is more dynamic. And stubborn. And Austria backstabbed the Coalition. Stupid Austria. I will get my revenge...Anyway, great game. Buy it if you like a good Napoleonic strategy to play. Especially if you like being a small country and trying to survive for as long as possible.

This game is REALLY REALLY FAST on my computer. Probably due to it's simpler mechanics, but probably much faster than EU4 (I'm not going to test that). Of course, some people believe that is a bad thing, but I see it as a good thing. In EU4, during the peaces, you have nothing to do. In this game, you're constantly gearing up for war. The time period is short, but with mods it can be extended 30 years. This game takes place in the Napoleonic Wars, and the combat system reflects it. The combat system is the best of any PDS strategy game I've played. It *is* possible to beat the Russians with less men than they have (some people argue that it is a numbers game). A few bugs are that the British Navy is UNKILLABLE. 1 ship can kill hundreds of Spanish and French ones. That does not mean Britain is unbeatable. You can win by crossing before a certain date. I never bothered to though (who cares about the Brits).